Zinedine Zidane Cannot Rely on Recently Returned Players for Super Cup Success

Real Madrid rounded off their participation in the International Champions Cup with a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich on Wednesday night, giving manager Zinedine Zidane the first opportunity to field the likes of Sergio Ramos and James Rodriguez in pre-season action after their extended breaks.

The Spanish club have enjoyed a positive time in their warm-up campaign thus far, but they face a drastically reduced pre-season schedule compared to most clubs—the three games they have now played at the ICC are their only non-competitive fixtures, and next up it is straight into the real action with the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla.

It means Zidane will have to strike a balance between giving minutes to players who haven't yet featured much and playing a side who can realistically challenge and play well enough to win the game.  A major trophy it might not be, but there is always an expectation that Real Madrid win silverware.

To give himself, and his team, the best chance of victory, Zidane must trust those who have featured heavily in pre-season so far, even if it comes at the expense of those who play most regularly.

4-4-2 or 4-3-3

The French boss has played both with a four- and a three-man midfield over the summer, giving new signing Alvaro Morata a chance in attack in both systems.

Naturally, the lineup will be partly dictated by who is available for the game on August 9, and with Cristiano Ronaldo sidelined by injury since the UEFA Euro 2016 final, it's clear that Zidane won't be starting the 2016-17 campaign with a full XI.

Initially, judging by on-pitch tactics, the plan was clearly to go with a 4-4-2 and have Morata partnering Karim Benzema up front to make the most use of the biggest names available—but the French striker has not yet played a minute in pre-season after struggling to recover from injury. Marca reported Zidane had "concerns" over Benzema's fitness, though said he was now in full training and hoped his compatriot would be fit enough to feature in the Super Cup.

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Midfield has seen plenty of faces and various combinations used in the three-game tour in North America, perhaps thereby giving Zidane his biggest opportunity to change and rotate the team as necessary. It's worth noting that the two games Morata started with a strike partner, one is set to leave permanently and the other expected to go on loan.

By the time the Sevilla match rolls around, he might be the only fit forward remaining, forcing Zidane into the 4-3-3 shape regardless.

Key to defence

In defence, a lack of minutes is not ideal but is perhaps absorbable by a key name or two on account of needing less physical exertion and the players having more experience.

Ramos has just the single hour of action under his belt, while first-choice goalkeeper Keylor Navas has not played at all. By contrast, Marcelo started all three games at left-back and Nacho has played a full part, too.

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Regardless of formation, Casemiro will surely play a vital role in front of the defence; the Brazilian started all three matches, played well in the first two and will be a pivotal part of the game plan to protect Real's defence against a Sevilla side who—over the course of the season, if not immediately—will look to be attack-minded and make use of their large number of offensive midfielders.

Casemiro will need to close out those spaces that Jorge Sampaoli's team play in between the lines, and it's of huge importance for Zidane that Casemiro is already fit.

With Pepe and Toni Kroos having not played and not likely to be fit for the Super Cup, per Zidane in his post-game press conference, Ramos is an almost-certain starter despite his lack of time on the pitch. Luka Modric will start, and Mateo Kovacic should be in the running, too, having played well in his two starts and featured in the third, building his game time quicker than others.

Attack not ready?

Morata might have started all three games, but he has yet to find the net for Real Madrid since rejoining from Juventus. Partly, of course, that's down to having faced excellent sides—Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich don't ship goals for fun—and partly it's due to getting used to new team-mates and tactics.

But elsewhere, the attack has lacked function and link-up play at times, other than when Kovacic impressed early on.

Jese and Mariano Diaz could be gone, with the former on the verge of a move to PSG, according to Marca, and the same outlet suggesting the former is set for a loan deal for the season. James Rodriguez didn't look particularly sharp in his run-out against Bayern, Isco has not yet found any real cutting edge to his game—one shot onto the woodwork against the Germans aside—and Lucas Vazquez has had no end product to his willing runs.

Instead, the penetration and goals have, unusually, come from Real's full-backs marauding forward: Marcelo scored three in the first two games, and Danilo netted the winner over Bayern, while Dani Carvajal has also shown invention and an ability to link play in the final third from right-back in the 4-3-3 perhaps more than the 4-4-2.

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Perhaps one of James or Isco can be accommodated in the team at this stage to boost their confidence as well as fitness, but there's little question that the most impressive attacking midfielder for Real in pre-season is also one who has had a significant amount of game time: Marco Asensio.

The Spaniard was always likely to impress after an excellent season on loan last term, but he was still expected to go out again in 16-17. That has changed—Marca report Zidane as so impressed that he wants to keep Asensio to play both in midfield and as cover for the front three.

It's a richly deserved stay for the 20-year-old, who must be in with a chance of featuring in the Super Cup, perhaps as part of a three-man attack with Morata.

They have impressed, they have mounted minutes toward peak fitness, and it is in these players Zidane must trust if he wants to lift his second trophy in the space of a few months.

It won't be the end of the world if Real don't win, of course, but the Santiago Bernabeu has always been a changeable and volatile place; failure to beat a divisional rival, even as early on in the season as this, will be seen as an opportunity missed and could give rise to awkward questions.

For the team and for the best chance of victory, Zidane must hold off the temptation to simply pick from the usual pool of first-teamers and instead opt to feature those who are most ready for competitive action.

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